Do You Need a Prescription For CBD Oil?

Cannabis in general, and CBD specifically is one of the quickest growing industries currently. Ever since the Farm Bill passed in 2018 it seems like the floodgates opened for brands to begin producing CBD products ad nauseam.

Interested in smoking your CBD? Great you have the option of CBD vaporizers, CBD cigarettes, CBD flower, and CBD wax.

Would you prefer to eat your CBD? No problem, grab a bag of CBD gummies, or CBD chocolate.

Want to melt your aches and pains away? Throw a CBD bath bomb into your bath and add water. Or maybe you want to rub some CBD topicals on your skin after your Saturday morning yoga class.

This is literally just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to CBD products, and weekly it seems like another brand introduces another way to enjoy CBD or another cannabinoid-infused product.

While all this is great if you’re into CBD that is, do you need a prescription for CBD oil?

CBD School is here to educate you in the world of CBD, so let’s get to it!

What is CBD Oil?

READ: What is CBD (Cannabidiol)?

Before we dig into whether a prescription is needed to enjoy that CBD tincture, let’s first give a brief overview of what CBD oil is.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of about 100 compounds, known as cannabinoids, that can be found within cannabis plants.

In the mid-1990s it was discovered that the body has an endocannabinoid system that is all over the body. This system’s main function is to keep the body in a state of homeostasis.

The body naturally produces endocannabinoids which act as keys that bind to the cannabinoid receptors, the locks in this scenario.

When these endocannabinoids bind to the cannabinoid receptors, a physiological response occurs that helps keep the cells alive and healthy.

For those who believe in CBD, (there is a debate as to whether CBD actually does what some studies have found it does), CBD assists your body’s endocannabinoids from deteriorating which keeps them from being removed from your body via enzymes.

Since the endocannabinoids are assisted by CBD to keep from deteriorating and leaving the body, the endocannabinoids can continue to assist the body in maintaining a state of homeostasis.

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Is CBD Oil Legal?

While CBD is technically legal in all 50 states, that doesn’t mean that you are able to run out and get every type of CBD product available on the market.

Certain states, roughly half in the United States, only allow hemp-derived CBD products which do not exceed 0.3% THC.

In many of these states where a CBD product exceeds the federally allowed 0.3% THC limit, the person would need to have medical cannabis license. While this isn’t true in all of these conditionally legal states, it is for many.

Do You Need a Prescription for CBD Oil?

While it is not required to obtain a prescription or to speak with a medical professional, to purchase CBD, many states limit the THC content allowed in CBD products. As mentioned above the legal THC limit for hemp-derived CBD is 0.3%, which is what the Farm Bill allowed when it was passed.

As you can most likely figure based on your own confusion, along with volumes of publications writing articles on the subject, CBD lives in somewhat a gray area, federally.

Even though it is legal to manufacture and sell CBD, the FDA has not given CBD the approval needed to classify it as a supplement or to really place it in any category, at the time of this writing. This has pigeonholed the industry a bit, as there is no oversight when it comes to CBD really.

In states where marijuana is legal, whether with a medical marijuana card or in fully recreational states, you may be able to purchase CBD products that have greater than 0.3% THC. In states where marijuana is not legal, the limit you are allowed to purchase CBD products containing is 0.3%.

Consult with Your Doctor

READ: How to Talk to Your Doctor About CBD

Although it is not a law to discuss consuming CBD with your doctor, it is recommended that you do so. While the majority of the time CBD shouldn’t give you any major medical issues, see below for some potential side effects, CBD may have some negative effects caused by drug interactions from medications people take.

Because this article is meant to educate the general public, and not anyone or situation specifically, CBD School recommends discussing the idea of introducing CBD to your daily regimen with your doctor.

CBD Side Effects

DISCOVER: Side Effects of CBD

While general consumption of CBD is relatively harmless and it would be very, very difficult to overdose while solely taking CBD, it does have the potential to create some side effects that could be annoying to deal with.

Some of the side effects associated with taking CBD, according to the Mayo Clinic, are dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness, and fatigue.1

If you are new to CBD it is recommended that you become familiar with what effects occur to you prior to getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

CBD Products Approved by the FDA

Currently, at the time of this article, the FDA has only approved one cannabis-derived medication, called Epidiolex. Epidiolex “contains a purified form of the drug substance CBD for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome in patients 1 year[s] of age and older.”2

There are also three cannabis-related drug products approved by the FDA which are Marinol, Syndros, and Cesamet. These three drugs contain either the cannabinoid THC or synthetically-derived THC in the ingredients.

Besides these four medicines, the FDA has not fully given the green light to the cannabis industry, including CBD.

Where Can You Purchase CBD Oil?

FIND OUT: Where Do You Buy CBD Oil?

At this point in time, CBD can be found almost everywhere, we’re not kidding. You can most likely find some at your local gas station, or that health food store around the corner, and even on Amazon.

While this is the case, that does not mean you should run out to your local gas station to pick some up.

All CBD is not created equal, so do yourself some good and research first before making your purchase.

GRAB YOURSELF: CBD Coupon Codes

Conclusion

There are tons of different brands, many of them good, and loads of different types of CBD products. Everyone is different, and certain products will resonate with some, while not with others.

If you are someone who takes vitamins daily and is used to it, maybe CBD capsules are the way to go.

Or maybe you’re a gym rat and enjoy a healthy smoothy after hitting the gym, well a CBD tincture may be your go-to so you can add some CBD oil to the mix.

The point is you have many, many options when it comes to consuming your CBD, [most likely] no prescription needed!

references

1Bauer, B. A. (2020, December 18). CBD: Safe and effective? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/is-cbd-safe-and-effective/faq-20446700

2Commissioner, O. of the. (2021, January 22). FDA regulation of cannabis and cannabis-derived products: Q&A. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/fda-regulation-cannabis-and-cannabis-derived-products-including-cannabidiol-cbd